Lake District

View along the tulip walk with an ornate bench visible and the house in the background at Sizergh, Cumbria. — The tulip walk at Sizergh

Home of Beatrix Potter, dramatic landscapes and fascinating history.

Early morning walk in the woods at Fell Foot, Cumbria

Where you can visit

We're starting to reopen some National Trust gardens and parks, as well as car parks, in line with government guidance. You will need to book your visit in advance. In the Lake District, this week you can book visits to Hill Top, Sizergh and Fell Foot. We'll be opening new places when we can, so check back each week.

Find out what to expect and how to book

Places you can visit

Hill Top

Beatrix Potter's 17th-century farmhouse: a time-capsule of her life. The cottage garden is a haphazard mix of flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetables. Make your way up the garden path and see for yourself why Beatrix loved this place.

Sizergh

A medieval house with rich gardens, including a national collection of ferns and a superb limestone rock garden. Explore the woodlands, wetlands and orchards of the wider estate too.

Fell Foot

This lakeshore park with stunning mountain views is situated at the very southern tip of Lake Windermere. Stroll along paths to find flower meadows and the Pinetum – the park’s collection of specimen trees.

Explore lakeshores, valleys and fells

Many of the countryside places that we care for in the Lake District, along with our car parks, have now re-opened. There’s no need to book to visit places like Wasdale, Tarn Hows, or Borrowdale and Derwent Water. We just ask that you come back another time if the car park is full.

Find out which countryside places are open

Car park sign and four walkers, Seatoller, Cumbria — Visitors setting off on a walk from the car park at Seatoller, Cumbria

Lake District car parks

Whether you’re venturing on to the high fells, exploring the area by boat, going for an amble by a lakeshore, or mountain biking on off road trails, here’s a handy guide to our car parks in the Lake District to help you plan your day.

Plan your day

Lake District history

Claife Viewing Station

Claife Viewing Station is a rare example of a purpose-built public viewing station, dating back to the 1790s. It's one of the earliest monuments to tourism in the Lake District.

Wordsworth House garden in the morning sunshine

How Wordsworth House was saved

The Wordsworths weren’t the only family to leave their mark on Wordsworth House. The Ellises, who lived there in the 1930s, were almost responsible for its destruction.

Yew Tree Farm and it's flock of Herdwick sheep, near Coniston, in Cumbria

Beatrix Potter, the Lake District and the National Trust

Beatrix Potter relished life in the Lake District, becoming involved in farming, breeding sheep and conservation.

Canon Rawnsley (centre) with Beatrix Potter and her family in 1887

Who was Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley?

One of the founders of the National Trust, Hardwicke Rawnsley helped us acquire some of our first places for the nation. Discover which places he helped to save.

Podcast: Things That Go Click in The Night

In this episode of the National Trust podcast, presenter Jo Dyson heads to Wasdale in the Lake District to try her hand at some astrophotography on a night time stroll. Please note, this episode was recorded before UK restrictions to stem the spread of coronavirus. Please check current guidance before planning any activities.